FIG. 1 shows an exemplary vehicle including a regenerative breaking system according to the conventional art. The vehicle 100 includes an engine 110, a transmission 120, a motor/generator 130, and one or more vehicle batteries 140. It is appreciated, that the vehicle also includes numerous other conventional subsystems not shown. The engine 110 and motor/generator 130 may be coupled to the transmission 120 in a parallel hybrid, series hybrid, series-parallel hybrid, full hybrid, or the like mild hybrid. The exemplary vehicle 100 illustrates an electric-internal combustion engine hybrid vehicle. However there are other conventional hybrid vehicles, such as electric-fuel cell hybrids, internal combustion engine-hydraulic hybrids, internal combustion engine-pneumatic hybrids, or the like.
The vehicle 100 includes a regenerative breaking system 150 that captures the kinetic energy of the vehicle 100 during breaking and converts the kinetic energy to electrical energy for storage on batteries 140, supercapacitors and/or the like. Conventional systems may also capture excess kinetic energy of the engine 110. Conventional systems may alternatively store the captured kinetic energy in another form in a flywheel, hydraulic accumulator, or the like of the vehicle. The recaptured energy is then used again to propel the vehicle 100.
For example, in an electric-internal combustion engine series-parallel hybrid with regenerative breaking, the vehicle 100 can be propelled by the engine 110, the motor/generator 130, or a combination thereof. The electric motor of the vehicle 100 becomes a generator to recover kinetic energy of the vehicle during breaking. The captured kinetic energy is converted into electric energy to recharge the batteries 140 by the generator.
The regenerative breaking system 150 of the vehicle 100 reduces the power consumed by the vehicle 100 and emissions produced by the vehicle 100. However, there is a continued need for improved kinetic energy capture systems and method of use.